Pattern Perception is a new artist who has just been signed by Jack Said What. Fuelled by audio psychoactive motifs, he’s an exciting prospect who was discovered by JSW thanks to the Data Transmission demo feedback sessions.

While Pattern Perception is readying his album he hooked up with Jack Said What uber-producer Steve Mac, who saw something in a Patterns track that he could put a new switch on. The resulting house track is massive.

After a percussive build-up with a burbling bass, some synth stabs and a floaty female vox begin to add colour and texture. It’s after the first drop-down that the track really gets into its flow. Classic hands-in-the-air piano keys and then a gentle 303 wiggle send ‘The Colours Of’ off into the celestial heavens. 

Fans of Duke Dumont, Secondcity, Route 94 and the deep, melodic house explosion of a decade ago will lap up this consciousness-expanding kaleidoscopic cut.

The Colours Of (101 Dub)

Steve Mac & Pattern Perception - The Colours Of (101 Dub)

Kick-ass electronic dance music label founded by the visionary trio of Irvine Welsh, Steve Mac & Carl Loben. We're passionate about nurturing talent and pushing boundaries, with a strong focus on quality, and are injecting the original raw spirit back into dance music. 
Many of the tracks are produced, written or mixed using original hardware boxes and mastered to analogue tape, giving a nod to the roots of electronic music production - but always using the latest technology to bring the sound into the future.

In a basement music-making studio in the south of England sit a bunch of machines. A Moog System 15, a Juno 106, classic Roland TR-808, TB-303 and TR-909s, an Emu SP1200, a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, Akai MPC, a Mini-Moog… these machines have been some of the foundation hardware for electronic music over the years.

But these machines can’t make music by themselves. Despite all the hype about artificial intelligence (AI) and robots, these machines need somebody to collaborate with — a human — to draw out their soul and funk.

We’ve been fascinated by machine music since the second half of the 20th century, and electronic music has been powered by the ever-developing automation of new technology. “I’ve collected these machines for a long time now, and each one has a story,” says uber-producer Steve Mac, owner of all these machines. “Every time I buy a new one, the rule is that I have to make a track with it.”

The variety of people who drop by to play on these machines are what make the music coming out of this studio so diverse. Whether it’s house music legends like Marshall Jefferson or Danny Rampling swinging by, or cult Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh laying down some vocals on a German/Scottish kosmische disco ditty; a session with dubwise breakbeat rave act Genaside II to making a track with unknown guitar n’ bass whizkid Scott Booth; from working with young house hotshots Cousn from Bristol to some songs with a Brazilian band Steve met in the pub — these machines need humans to collaborate with. They can’t do it themselves.

The above-mentioned Brazilian band member Rafael Berrio provided the impetus for ‘Martina’, a Balearic Brazilian love story that’s the first single from Steve’s new project. It’s backed by a melodic breakbeat piece that also utilises those Brazilian vibes. “I want to make music from the heart,” says Steve. “It’s the interaction of people and machines that I’m really fascinated with.”

Each of these machines is a feat of engineering. Machines like these have created countless classic electronic music cuts, and lately Steve has been adding to that cannon — with a slew of tracks ready to go. The electricity is on. The motor is running. Are you ready for the sound of These Machines?